Collapsible container.



J. BRENNER & A. BRESNICK. COLLAPSIBLE CONTAINER. APPLxcATIoN FILED FEB.\3,1915.

Patented May 1, 1917.

J'QSEPI-I BRENNER AND ABRAHAM BRESNICK, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

COLLAPSIBLE CONTAINER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May i, ieri.

AppIication filed February 13, 1915. Serial No. 8,084.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that we, Josnrrr BRENNER and ABRAHAM BRESNICK, citizens of the United States, residing at Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements in Collapsible Containers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to collapsible containers and has for its object to provide a container adapted to be used as a pail or the like and which may, when not in use, be collapsed .and closed so as to occupy a comparatively small amount of space.

Another object of the invention is to provide a collapsible container having supports so arranged that when said container is extended and filled with liquids or the like, it will be impossible to accidentally collapse said container and thus lose some of the contents thereof.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a closure for said container, when collapsed, whereby a small amount of liquid may be contained therein and thel container closed to prevent said liquid from leaking out whether said container be upside down or right side up.

The invention consists in the combination and arrangement of parts set forth in the following' specification and particularly pointed out in the claim.

Referring' to the drawings:

Figure 1 is a vertical section, partly in elevation, of a container embodying our invention, said container being shown extended in said figure.

Fig. 2 is a section similar to Fig. 1 illustrating the container collapsed and closed.

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the container as illustrated in Fig. 1.

Fig. f1 is a section taken on the line 1-4 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a detail view of a portion of one of the extensible supports illustrating a modified form of fastening means.

Like numerals refer to like parts throughout the several views of the drawings.

In the drawings, 7 is a collapsible body, which in its preferred construction, embodies three tapering, telescoping rings 8, 9 and 10 adapted to be moved telescopically relatively to each other to extend or collapse said container. A bottom 11 is provided for one of said rings, preferably the innermost ring 8, which is the smaller of the three. A base 12 is also provided for said container and is secured preferably to said bottom 11 and extends laterally from said innermost container 8 to form an annular rim 13.

The ring 9 is slightly larger in diameter than the ring 8, and the ring l0 is slightly larger in diameter than the ring 9, consequently when said container is extended the smaller end of the ring lO lits tightly about the larger end of the ring 9, while the smaller end of the ring 9 tits tightly about the larger end of the ring 8 so as to absolutely seal the joints between said rings and prevent the leaking of water therethrough.

A bail 14 is pivotally secured, preferably by rivets 15, to the inner rim of the outermost ring 10 and forms an arc of less radius than the radius of said rim, thus permitting said bail to be swung downwardly into said rim, said bail being of such a radius that it will lie between the ring 10 and the ring 9 when said rings are collapsed, as shown in F ig. 2.

In this type of container the friction between the several rings is the only force which maintains said rings in their extended relations, thus any accidental blow delivered upon the rim of the ring 10 would naturally produce the collapse of the container with the result that the liquid or substance contained therein will be lost or at least the greater portion thereof.

o prevent such an accident from taking place a plurality of extensible supports 16 have been provided. 1n the present case two are shown upon opposite sides of the container 7 and these supports are each secured to the container adjacent the bottom thereof, preferably to the annular rim 13 of said base, while the upper ends of said supports are secured adjacent to the upper edge or rim of the outermost ring 10;

The preferred construction of the expansible support 16 consists of a casing 17 provided with longitudinal chambers 18 and 19. Into the chamber 18 extends a flat rod or bar 20 which is secured, as hereinbefore stated, to the rim 13 and is slidably arranged in said chamber, while into the chamber 19 projects another liat rod or bar 21 which is arranged to slide in said chamber in opposite directions to the bar 20. The rod 21 is attached, as hereinbefore stated, to thel upper rim of the outermost ring 10.

Means are provided for securing the extensible supports in their collapsed or extended positions. Said means preferably consists of screws 22 and 23 arranged adjacent the upper and lower ends of said casing and engaging respectively the rods 21 and 20. Said screws have screw-threaded engagement with said casing so that they may be adjusted to clamp or release said rods when desired, thus when said several rings, which constitute the body of the container, have been extended, said screws may be set against said rods and prevent telescopical movement of said rings.

l/Vhen it is desired to collapse the container the rods 20 and 21 are released by operating the screws 23 and 22, permitting said rings to be pushed downwardly until the lower edges or rims of each of said rings engage the annular rim 13 which prevents a further telescopical movement in that direction, see Fig. 2.

The rings 8, 9 and 10 are preferably of an equal depth so that theirupper edges are all in alinement with each other, while the extensible supports 16 are of such a length that when said rings are in their lowermost positions, said extensible members will not project above the upper edges thereof.

A closure 2A having an open end 25 is adapted to t over the several rings 8, 9 and 10 and the extensible members 16, while a closed end 26 of said closure engages the upper edges of the several rings and absolutely closes said rings and prevents rattling thereof. The opposite or open end 25 of said closure is adapted to be closed by the base 12, which is constructed to fit said open end, and a yoke 27 pivotally connected at 28 to one edge of said closure extends across said base to the opposite edge of said closure and is yieldingly secured by a pivoted link 29 against said base, thus securely fastening said closure over said collapsed container.

During the extending of the container it is important that the casing 17 of the extensible member be lifted with the rod 21 after said rod has been withdrawn from said casing a certain amount. For this purpose a stop is provided which consists of an ex- Gopies of this patent may he obtained for five cents each, by addressing the tension 3() formed at the end of the screw 22. The extension 30 projects into a slot 3l in the rod 21 and when said rod has been nearly withdrawn from the casing 17, the extension 30 engages the end of said slot and prevents a further withdrawal thereof, thus causing said casing to move upwardly with said rod for the remainder of its movement,

In Fig. 5 is shown another method of' locking or securing the extensible members 16 extended or collapsed in which spring pins 32 and 33 are employed, said pins being mounted on springs 34 and 35 respectively secured to the casing 17 The pins 32 and 33 are adapted at certain times, or at least when the supports are extended, to enter recesses' 36 and 37 respectively in the rods 20 and 21. These pins automatically enter said recesses when the extensible supports are moved the desired distance. To collapse said supports the spring pins 32 and 33 are withdrawn from said recesses by deflecting their springs whereby said rods will be permitted to slide into the casing 17 Having thus described our invention what we claim and desire by Letters Patent to secure is:

A collapsible container having in combination a series of tapered telescoping rings adapted to be moved relatively to each other to extend or collapse said container, a base attached to the lowermost ring of said series, extensible links adapted to secure said container either extended or collapsed, a closure adapted to t over said base and inclose all of the rings of said series when said container is collapsed and a yoke pivotally secured at one end to said closure and detachably secured at its opposite end to said closure adapted to engage said base'and retain said rings within said closure.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto set our hands in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOSEPH BRENNER. ABRAHAM BRESNICK. Witnesses:

SYDNEY E. TAFT, MARGARET E. HORN.

Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. 

